The present invention relates to a content creation apparatus and method, content distribution system and method, content reproduction apparatus and method for creating, distributing and reproducing, via a communication network, content that comprises a combination of text data, music data, etc., as well as a storage media storing instructions for implementing the methods. In particular, the present invention concerns an improved content creation apparatus and method, content distribution system and method, content reproduction apparatus and method which can create content including background music (BGM) sounds fitting the substance or contents (hereinafter, the term xe2x80x9csubstancexe2x80x9d, rather than the term xe2x80x9ccontentsxe2x80x9d, is used to clearly differentiate from a similar term xe2x80x9ccontentxe2x80x9d that is used to mean xe2x80x9ccontent informationxe2x80x9d to be created and distributed in the present invention) of a text and which allow any interested user to readily obtain the thus-created content and then have the text visually displayed while audibly reproducing the BGM sounds in accordance with the obtained content, as well as a storage media storing instructions for implementing the above-mentioned methods.
A great variety of pieces of information, such as political news, economic news, local news, sports news, weather forecast, gourmet-oriented information and information on fashionable and attractive spots, are today distributed in a variety of forms. In recent years, network-based information distribution facilities have been popularly employed, as a new form of information distribution, which use a wired or wireless communication network, such as the Internet, to distribute news and various other information to users in the form of machine-readable texts, unlike the traditional forms of information distribution such as newspapers, magazines and television and radio broadcasting. Among conventionally-known examples of the network-based information distribution facilities are electric news tapes displayed on electric bulletin boards attached to wall surfaces of trains (e.g., xe2x80x9cShinkansenxe2x80x9d or Superexpress trains in Japan), buildings, etc. and news (mail news) electronically mailed to individual interested users or subscribers. Because suppliers or distributors of news and various other information normally supply users with latest news and information one after another, such a new form of information distribution based on communication networks allow the users to readily gain up-to-date news and other information at any desired time.
However, the conventionally-known network-based information distribution facilities, such as the electric news tapes and electronically mailed news (mail news), are arranged to display the distributed news, weather forecast and various other information only in the form of text data (including number data), and are accompanied by no background music (BGM) sounds at all or, if any, by mere BGM sounds having no relation or association with the substance of distributed news, weather forecast and other information. Accordingly, the distributors of the news, weather forecast and other information could not draw deep users interest or attention to the distributed information. Also, when BGM having no relation to the substance of the distributed news, weather forecast or other information is being played, the users or viewers could hardly view the distributed information pleasantly.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a content creation apparatus and method which can create a music content fitting the substance of text data.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a content distribution system and method which can distribute content comprising a combination of text data and music data fitting the text data, as well as a communication terminal apparatus and method which are suitable for use in such a content distribution system and method.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides a content creation apparatus which comprises: a classification device that classifies a supplied text data set into any one of a plurality of categories in accordance with substance of the supplied text data set; a music selection device that selects or generates a musical composition data set which corresponds to the category of the text data set classified by the classification device; and a content information generation device that generates content information containing first position information indicative of a stored position of the supplied text data set and second position information indicative of a stored position of the selected or generated musical composition data set.
The present invention also provides a content distribution system which comprises: a server that distributes, via a communication network, content information that contains first position information indicative of a stored position of a text data set and second position information indicative of a stored position of a musical composition data set; and a client terminal that receives the content information distributed from the server via the communication network, accesses, on the basis of the first position information contained in the received content information, a first predetermined position, on the communication network, corresponding to the first position information, so as to receive the text data set distributed from the first predetermined position, and accesses, on the basis of the second position information contained in the received content information, a second predetermined position, on the communication network, corresponding to the second position, so as to receive the musical composition data set distributed from the second predetermined position.
The present invention also provides a communication terminal apparatus which comprises: a receiver that receives content information distributed via a communication network, the content information containing first position information indicative of a stored position of a text data set and second position information indicative of a stored position of a musical composition data set; and a transmitter that, on the basis of the first position information contained in the content information received via the receiver, automatically connects to a first predetermined position, on the communication network, corresponding to the first position information so that the transmitter receives the text data set distributed from the first predetermined position, and that, on the basis of the second position information contained in the received content information, automatically connects to a second predetermined position, on the communication network, corresponding to the second position information so that the transmitter receives the musical composition data set distributed from the second predetermined position.
The present invention may be constructed and implemented not only as the apparatus invention as discussed above but also as a method invention. Also, the present invention may be arranged and implemented as a software program for execution by a processor such as a computer or DSP, as well as a storage medium storing such a program. Further, the processor used in the present invention may comprise a dedicated processor with dedicated logic built in hardware, not to mention a computer or other general-purpose type processor capable of running a desired software program.
While the embodiments to be described herein represent the preferred form of the present invention, it is to be understood that various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the present invention is therefore to be determined solely by the appended claims.